By Elizabeth Clarke, LCU News PINEVILLE, La. (LCU News) - Louisiana Christian University welcomed 35 high school students from around central Louisiana, March 8, to its first Healthcare Heroes Expedition to learn from educators and experts about different career opportunities. Attending the event were students from Alexandria Senior High School, Pineville High School, Grace Christian School and Georgetown High School in Grant Parish. The event was held in cooperation with the Central Louisiana Area Health Education Center. The event featured LCU alumni Ryan Riche, the director of physical therapy at Rapides Regional Medical Center, and Jonathan Hunter, a family practice physician at Cenla Associates in The Clinics, shared information and answered questions from the interested teens. Students rotated through different hands-on activities conducted by LCU faculty and students: a CPR simulation, a heart/EKG simulation, nursing demonstrations and physical therapy assistant spine board transfers. More information about LCU’s Department of Natural Sciences and all the academic programs in healthcare fields, including physical therapy assistant, nursing and exercise science, can be found at lcuniversity.edu. … [Read more...]

By Elizabeth Clarke, LCU News PINEVILLE, La. (LCU News) - Louisiana Christian University welcomed two service-learning scholars from Tulane University to its March faculty meeting to train professors in creative ways to incorporate this initiative into the classroom. Jelagat Cheruiyot, a senior professor, teaches two to three of her courses with service learning each semester, teaching first-year students to seniors, as well as other community-engaged projects involving student mentees. Her service-learning students work with several community partners locally and regionally on different projects from community gardens, restoration, recycling (materials and nutrient), insect sampling and preservation as well as attending and participating appropriately in different cultural events. Additionally, Cheruiyot facilitated Tulane Center for Public Service’s semesterly faculty seminar on service learning from fall 2021-fall 2023, guiding dozens of faculty through service-learning course conceptualization and design. Bridget Smith, assistant director for Academic Community Engagement, has been with Tulane’s Center for Public Service, working at the nexus of community and higher ed for the past 15 years. She leads Tulane’s … [Read more...]